Gas generator



Aug. 14, 1934. G M, DEMING 1,970,225

GAS GENERATOR Filed March 22. 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l G. M. DEMXNG GAS GENERATOR Aug. 14, 1934.

Filed March 22. 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet a n .n

071 yum/Emma,

" ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 14, 1934 GAS GENERATOR George M. Deming, East Orange, N. L, assignor to Air Reduction Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 22, 1932, Serial No. 600,434

9 Claims.

This invention relates to gas generators in which solid material is fed and dropped into a body of liquid, by reaction with which gas is generated. Specifically, the invention relates to acetylene generators.

The invention relates more particularly to a generator in which a valve or feed device at the outlet of the carbide hopper is agitated automatically .to produce the feed. Objects of the invention are: ease and economy of manufacture, dependability of operation, uniformity of pressure of the gas supplied totorches or other consuming devices, high quality of regulation throughout a wide range of gas flows from very low to very high, simplicity of mechanism coupled with capability of remaining in good working order indefinitely, and sturdiness to withstand use in the field or rough handling.

The generator illustrated herein is similar in much of its mechanism to that disclosed in my copending applications 600,432, and 600,433, but the matters claimed herein are not limited to the specific mechanism.

My aforesaid applications disclose a form of feed valve in which there is a valve plate beneath the outlet of the carbide hopper, this valve plate being movable vertically under the control of pressure-responsive means, to vary the separation between the plate andthe hopper outlet, thus varying the size of the ultimate feed passage, and the plate also being agitated by an agitator operated by the outflow of gas, to cause the carbide to feed oiT the plate.

The invention of the present application includes a different type of feed valve, in which the part that is agitated is a spout, or other element of an enclosure that surrounds a carbide throat or pocket between the hopper and a feed valve plate. This plan is simple and effective, and has the advantage that it can be utilized to agitate the carbide far up into the outlet portion of the hopper and in that way to prevent any clogging or arching of the carbide.

The feed valve of the present invention preferably comprises the agitated spout or its equivalent to effect the feeding of the carbide, and a feed valve plate beneath this device, this plate being vertically movable to control the feed.

The automatic agitation or vibration of the spout or its equivalent may be produced by agitators of a variety of types, one of which is shown by way of illustration, others being disclosed in my copending applications.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof:

Serial Nos. 600,431,

Fig. l is a vertical section through an acetylene generator embodying the invention, the body of the generator and the carbide hopper being largely broken away;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section showing an alternative construction; and

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 44 of Fig. 3.

A portion of the tank body of the generator, containing the generator chamber, is marked 2, and a portion of the carbide hopper is marked 3. The normal water level in the body is marked 4, above this being the gas space 5.

The hopper has a sloping bottom 9 containing a broad feed opening 10. At some distance below this opening there is a valve plate 11. The top of this plate slopes gently from the center, and in its under side there is a cavity to receive the head 14 of a valve stem 12, the shank of this stem being guided in the hub 13 of a spider, the arms 15 of which are supported by a collar 16 projecting downward from the hopper.

A flexible spout, collar or sleeve 160 is secured 30 at its upper end to the outlet of the hopper and extends downward into proximity to the feed plate 11. The carbide is caught and supported by this plate, and is dislodged by agitation of the spout so that it is fed through the gap between the lower end of the spout and the outer portion of the top of the plate, from which it drops into the body of water.

The spout 160 is preferably made of rubber, but leather, fabric or other flexible material may be 9 employed. The lower end of the spout is bound by a ring 161, and to this is connected a link 162, which extends out through an opening in the collar 16. The outer end 163 of the link is turned down and pointed, and may be weighted at 164. This terminal forms one element of a separable connection between the link connected to the spout and a link 75 supported by the body of the generator, the proximate end of the latter link having a horizontal loop 80 carrying a piece of wire mesh 165. This construction is an alternative form of the separable connection illustrated in my other applications to which reference has been made.

The link '75 extends inside a gas limb 22, which projects laterally from the upper portion of the generating chamber, and which carries an agitator, from which impulses are transmitted through the linkage to shake the spout. The invention is not limited to the specific construction and mode of operation of the agitator, since various kinds are known and others are disclosed in my copending applications. The agitator illustrated in the accompanying drawings is like the one disclosed in application Serial No. 600,432.

The top of a liquid-seal chamber is applied to the under side of the gas limb 22 around a large opening in its bottom. This chamber is charged with liquid 101 to a predetermined level through a fill-opening closed by a plug (not shown), leaving a gas space 103 in the upper portion of the liquid-seal chamber. A flexible diaphragm 104 is clamped at its margin between the chamber 100 and the gas limb. Thus, this diaphragm is exposed at its upper side to the generated gas pressure existing in the gas chamber of the limb 22 and at its under side to what may be termed the outlet gas pressure in the space 103. A gas outlet passage 105 communicates at 106 with the space 103 beneath the diaphragm and conducts the gas, after it passes the waterseal, to an outlet pipe 107. It will be understood that this pipe leads to the usual fiash-arrester chamber (not shown), from which the gas passes to the service line or main.

The downtake limb of the liquid seal is represented by a duct 108 that extends vertically in the wall at one side of the liquid-seal chamber. This duct is open at its upper end to the gas chamber in the limb 22, and at its lower end communicates through an opening 109 with the lower portion of the liquid seal chamber.

In the absence of gas pressure, the liquid would stand at the same height in this duct and in the well of the liquid-seal chamber. During generation and consumption of gas, the gas is compelled to depress the liquid in the duct 108 until the gas gains the opening 109, from which it bubbles upward through the body of the liquid, and then passes by way of the gas space 103 to the outlet. Upon the occurrence of each such discharge the gas pressures at opposite sides of the diaphragm 104 are more or less equalized, and the liquid rises in the duct 108, to be depressed again as gas accumulates in the generator. These discharges through the water seal occur at short intervals, with greater or less frequency depending upon the consumption flow.

The fluctuations in the pressure differential across the diaphragm 104 cause it to flex up and down, and this action is communicated to the spout 160. The pressure fluctuations do not affeet the high degree of steadiness and pressure uniformity of the gas delivered by the generator for consumption, since the fluctuations are small in magnitude, and, for all practical purposes, cease to exist in the course of the passage of the gas to the torches.

The connections between the diaphragm 104 and the spout include a link 69 fastened to the center of the diaphragm, and a bell-crank level" 70, the two arms of which are connected, respectively, to this link and to the long link 75. The bell-crank is shown pivotally fulcrumed at 71 on a lever 40, but it may be fulcrumed on a fixed support. A spring 72 connected to the bell-crank, or to some other part, is stressed when the diaphr agm is flexed by the generator pressure, and when the seal is broken and the discharge occurs, serves to return the diaphragm, at the same time contributing to the agitation of the feed device.

The lever 40, of which mention has been made, extends within the gas limb 22 and into the generator body, where its terminal 41 underlies the valve stem 12, for the purpose of raising the valve plate 11 to vary the size of the carbide feed passage. This lever is fulcrumed at its outer end,

at 45, and is acted upon by two opposing springs 28 and 47, the former tending to lower the feed valve plate and the latter tending to raise it. The spring 28, which may be termed a regulating spring, is the more powerful, and acts upon the lever 40 through a diaphragm 26, which closes an opening in the top of the gas limb. When the gas pressure in the generator rises somewhat, its effect upon the diaphragm reduces the pressure of the regulating spring 28 on the lever, allowing the spring 47, which may be termed a compensating spring, to move the lever in the direction to bring the valve plate 11 closer to the hopper spout, or even to close it entirely. Conversely, when the gas pressure decreases somewhat, the spring 28 exerts more stress on the lever, and in so doing lowers the valve plate. These provisions tend to maintain a uniform working pressure in the generator, which pressure can be varied by the adjusting screw 30.

The carbide feed can be locked by turning the handle 56 of a cam 54 which coacts with cam surfaces on top of the regulator spring bonnet. As fully described in my copending application Serial No. 600,431, this causes the cam to act on the heads 53 of rods 52, the lower ends of which are connected to a cross-bar 44 that passes through a slotted opening in the boss 51 of a diaphragm plate 29. This back-checking of the regulator spring permits the compensating spring 47 to press and hold the valve plate 11 against the edge of the carbide opening 10.

Another bonnet 32 contains a relief valve.

In the modification shown in Figs. 3 and 4, a freely suspended skirt, ring, or collar 170 is employed as the part of the carbide feed valve that is agitated. The hopper is preferably provided with a downwardly projecting lip or spout 171 around the outlet opening 10, the upper portion of the ring 170 encircling this lip. The ring may flare downwardly, as shown. The feed gap between the lower edge of this collar and the top of the valve plate 11 is enlarged or reduced to control the feed, by vertical movement of the valve plate regulatedin the manner that has been described. The ring is hung by links or hangers 172 connecting ears 173 on the ring with studs 174 on the nozzle piece of the hopper, and the link 162 of the other construction is shown connected to another ear. The remainder of the mechanism for agitating or shaking the bodily movable ring may be understood as being the same as that described in connection with Figs. 1 and 2.

The operation of the generator has been made clear in the course of the description of the apparatus. As long as gas is consumed, the agitator illustrated at 100, or any other type of agitator that may be employed, acts through the linkage to shake or oscillate the flexible spout 160 or the freely movable ring 172. This causes-the carbide, which would otherwise be supported and held on the valve plate 11, to pass over the edge of the plate and fall into the water. The feedthe valve plate can be closed able the feed to be locked. In the second embodiment, the ring 170 can be pressed rigidly against the hopper when the feed is locked.

The invention can be embodied in other forms, and it will be evident that the mechanism by and through which the parts of the carbide feed valve are actuated and controlled may be varied.

I claim:

1. In a gas generator, the combination with a hopper and a generating chamber, of a downwardly extending flexible spout connected with the bottom of the hopper and contacting all around its top edge with the hopper bottom, a feed plate, below the spout, movable to control the discharge of carbide from the spout, an agitating device operated by the outflow of gas from the generator, and connections through which said device laterally agitates the lower end of the flexible spout.

2. In a gas generator, the combination with a hopper and a generating chamber, of a feed plate beneath the outlet of the hopper, an interposed, movably supported throat-encircling element shaped so that its cross-sectional area at any point along its length is at least as great as any cross-sectional area above such point and having a discharge opening at least as large as the outlet of the hopper, means for automatically agitating said element, and pressure-responsive means outside of the hopper for varying the separation between said plate and said element.

the combination with plate beneath the outlet of the hopper, an interposed, movably supported throat-encircling eleany point along its length any cross-sectional area above such point and having a discharge opening at least as large as for automatically agitating said element, a pressure-responsive device, and mechanism controlled by said device and located entirely outside of the hopper for raising and lowering said feed plate.

4. In a gas generator, the combination with a hopper and a generating chamber, of a flexible spout through which carbide passes downward from the hopper, the top edge of said spout being connected with the hopper bottom along the entire length of said top edge, a valve plate beneath said spout, and means for automatically agitating said spout.

5. In a gas generator, the combination with a hopper and a generating chamber, of a collar and hangers at spaced points around the collar flexibly suspending'the collar below and around the outlet of the hopper for lateral movement with respect to the hopper, a feed plate beneath said collar, an agitating device, and connections through which said device laterally agitates the collar.

6. In a gas generator, the combination with a hopper and a generating chamber, of a collar and hangers at spaced points around the collar flexibly suspending said collar below and around the outlet of the hopper, a feed said collar, an agitating device, which said device laterally agitates the collar, and means outside of the hopper outlet for automatically raising and lowering said teed plate.

7. In a gas generator, the combination with a hopper and a generating chamber, said hopper having an outlet opening with a downwardly projecting lip, a top surrounding said lip and having its lower portion of a cross-sectional area at least as great as that of the portion above to prevent packing of the carbide as it descends in the skirt, links at spaced points around said skirt flexibly suspending it from the hopper, means for laterally agitating said skirt, and a feed plate beneath said skirt.

8. In a gas generator, the combination with a hopper and a generating chamber, a feed plate beneath the outlet of the hopper, an element ena carbide-receiving pocket between the hopper and the feed plate, hangers suspending said element at spaced points around'its edge for lateral movement, an agitating device, and connections through which sa1d device laterally agicircling tates said element.

9. In a gas generator, the combination with a hopper and a generating chamber, of a vertically movable feed plate beneath the outlet of the hopper, an enclosure surrounding a carbidereceiving pocket between the hopper and the feed plate, said enclosure having a discharge opening as large as the hopper outlet, means for raising and lowering said feed plate, said means including a lever and pressure-responsive means controlling said lever, an agitator, and linkage between said agitator and said enclosure to agitate the carbide in said carbide-receiving pocket, said means and linkage being located entirely outside of the hopper and pocket so that the passage ,for carbide above the feed plate is unobstructed.

GEORGE M. DEMING. 

